Keeper, Seeker, Find Her
by Larinzia
Summary: Megan Jones and Zach Smith return in the next installment of the "Ask Me to Fly" series. Megan's been playing Quidditch for the last year but now she must face the sad truth that Zach is leaving school and she is left with the sad reality of a year witho


**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything that has anything to do with the HP universe. Megan and Zach are merely the two characters I have chosen to give voice to this time around.

**Author's Note:** Thanks to Holly for the beta and the wonderfulness that is (this version of )Zach. Also, a huge thank you and hug to SaraJo for killing Zach in her story and forcing the Megan angst to rise up until I couldn't keep her silent anymore.

_If you press me to say why I loved him, I can say no more than because he was he, and I was I. -Michel de Montaigne_

"Tell me something true," Megan stammered quietly, not sure how the statement would be received. She didn't want to disturb the stars that shone overhead as she lay curled up in her blanket with her head pillowed on her Quidditch pads. It was possible the two of them could see the entire sky from the middle of the pitch.

"Why does it have to be true?"

She could hear the chuckle in his voice but refused to let him goad her into an argument. There was a time and place for bickering. This perfect moment was not one of them. "Tell me something true."

There was silence but she didn't push him for an answer. One thing she had learned about Zach Smith was that he did things in his own time, on his own terms. She couldn't fault that, considering she was the same way. It made them both who they were and created interesting drama when they clashed. Lately, Megan was beginning to hope that there was also something more than this drama and angst. She wasn't sure exactly what that was, being sixteen and slightly lagging behind her peers on understanding boys.

It was becoming painfully obvious to her, though, that she didn't want to understand all boys. Just this one particular boy.

"I'm going to play professional Quidditch."

She smiled and nodded her head, even though she knew he couldn't see her. Turning to look at him, she put out her hand so she was touching his chest. It was something she was getting used to, this strange urge to touch him during these still moments. She had not been brought up to show affection, and it still confused her.

In their past, there had been hits and slaps and shoves and tugs, but never touching that wasn't in irritation or anger. In the last year and a half, there had been tiny instances of unexplained looks and caresses but nothing that couldn't be explained away or laughed off. Even the Yule Ball seemed a fluke. They had been on their best behavior, not wanting to ruin the special night. Cedric had admonished both of them to keep the jabs to a minimum and not to, under any circumstances, yell at each other from across the dance floor. They had done surprisingly well at being civil.

"I know you will. Someday."

He looked over at her, his eyes hidden in the darkness of the night. "Not someday, Megan. I mean I'm going to play professionally soon. When I leave here at the end of the month. I signed the contract already."

Her hand burned, and she snatched it away. She didn't like to think about spending her last year at school without him. There were times she completely forgot the difference in their ages, when she convinced herself that he wouldn't really leave.

"That's nice. Really, I'm glad for you." The stars blurred together as the tears quickly blinded her. She was thankful that the darkness hid her emotions from him. In a way, she could ignore the tears, as well. If no one else could see them and she didn't acknowledge them, they didn't exist. Isn't that how her parents felt about her?

After another length of silence, he muttered, "I thought you would be happier than this."

"So did I," she admitted, speaking around a sob.

"I think it's your turn to tell me something true." His voice was husky and quiet. This was how he sounded when he talked about something that meant a great deal to him, like Cedric or his dreams of continuing to play Quidditch far into the future. Things that other people didn't know about, only Megan.

With a furious pass of her hand over her eyes, she pasted a smile on her face. If no one could see the smile, did it matter either? Suddenly, Megan felt very alone. The universe, the stars and planets over head, was too large and she was so very small.

"I'm going to miss you when you leave. A lot." This silence was expected but that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. When Cedric died, she had felt so much sadness that she thought she would drown in the emotion. Now, thinking of losing Zach made her feel empty. Was it possible to drown in emptiness?

When he moved, she held herself completely still. Hadn't her parents taught her that telling the truth was painful? For all those years, she had said what she felt, and they had thrown it back at her with a sneer or a harsh word. Yet, she still hadn't learned to keep her mouth shut. Without waiting for him to leave completely, she curled up on her side and tried to stop her stomach from feeling like it had been kicked in. The stars didn't matter anymore. All that mattered was her quiet anguish.

An hour later, cold and stiff, she gathered up her blanket and gear. Gone was the elation from the win earlier in the day and the contentment in spending time alone with Zach. This day would be another one that she struggled to forget.

The next morning, waiting for on her on the table in the Great Hall, there was a note with her name in a familiar hand.

_Practice has been cancelled. Tell the others. I want you to come anyway, ready to play. __Zach_

She glanced up and down the table but didn't see Zach. After a quick conversation with Ernie, she grabbed her book bag and ran back to the common room. The seventh year Hufflepuffs had study time right after breakfast, and she was determined to find him before her morning class started. There was no way she could wait until this afternoon to find out why she needed the extra practice. Sure, her game had been a little off yesterday, but she had struggled through the first half an hour and found her groove. The two goals she let slip by could be forgiven considering they had won by a two hundred-point margin.

He was nowhere to be found. Megan even skipped lunch to run out to the pitch to see if he was flying. It was no use. If Zach was on Hogwarts grounds, she didn't know where he would be.

It was a confused, dejected girl that walked stiffly to the pitch that afternoon. She was beginning to take his absence personally, telling herself all sorts of lies and half-truths as the past played across her memory with this new rejection filter. Everything he had ever told her was twisted and turned until she was convinced that he had a right to hate her. Her mother was right. She was a stupid, ugly girl who would never amount to anything.

"Jones, over here."

She glanced over to see Zach in his uniform, his broom leaning against his arm in the nonchalant way of his. Normally, she would walk over and try to knock it down to see if she could catch him unawares. She never did but he would reach out and tug her hair while she tried to duck. When he succeeded, and he always did, she would growl and swat at his hand.

Today, she walked over and stood in front of him, her eyes downcast and her chin high. Hurt was evident in every line of her defensive posture but she was unaware of the dejected picture she made. She imagined that she was being strong, though, and that made her charade all the more pitiful.

"Are you ready to play?"

She nodded at his quiet question, swallowing as the fear overwhelmed her. Even on a good day, she had trouble getting into the air. Her fear of flying was a constant strain and wasn't helped by this new attitude of depression and hopelessness.

Instead of getting on his broom and zooming above her, he held out his hand. She jerked back at the unexpected motion, stopping herself as she noticed the small button. "What's that?"

"A portkey. I want you to see where I'll be playing. In fact, I want you to play there. The team thinks it's a great idea. They can't wait to meet my...you."

Megan found herself gazing at the small portkey in fascination. "You walked away last night."

"I needed time to think about what you'd said. In all the time I've known you, I don't think I ever really thought about how this would affect you." He lifted her chin so she was looking at him. "I'm going to miss you, too. You know I have to leave, right? This is part of growing up. I'm just luckier than almost everyone else. I get to have a job doing something I love. Come with me today."

Her smile broke through the angst that she had been feeling only seconds before. How could she have ever doubted him? He was nothing like her parents.

"I'm come with you today but you're going to have to ask."

Zach looked at her quizzically, trying to figure out exactly what she was asking him. Something in her grin finally gave him the answer. "Megan Jones," he asked, stepping closer. "Will you fly with me?"

She nodded, barely remembering what they were going to do as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on her waiting lips. When the portkey finally triggered, she couldn't tell the difference between the sweeping movement of the portal and the fluttering in her stomach from knowing that Zach would never really leave her.


End file.
